UEFA have taken the decision to refund all Liverpool fans who were caught up in the chaos outside the Stade de France at last season's Champions League final.
The 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in Paris was overshadowed by scenes outside the ground hours before kick-off when fans were attacked by local thugs, tear-gassed by French police and quarreled into unsafe spaces for hours as they queued to get into the stadium on May 28 last year.
In the subsequent days that followed, the French authorities tried to blame thousands of ticketless fans, claims that have since been disproven with Liverpool supporters hailed for averting a disaster by remaining calm during the mayhem outside the venue.
As many as 9,000 written testimonies were submitted by supporters following the game and an independent report, which was published last month by the French senate, exonerated match-goers before laying the blame squarely at the "major shortcomings" of the intelligence in use from the authorities, the transport routes for supporters and the lack of sufficient communication around the day.
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Close to 20,000 refunds will be available to all supporters with tickets for gates A, B, C, X, Y and Z, with UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis saying: “We have taken into account a huge number of views expressed both publicly and privately and we believe we have devised a scheme that is comprehensive and fair.
"We value the input from the Liverpool FC supporter organisations Spirit of Shankly (SoS) and Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association (LDSA) as well as the open and transparent dialogue throughout this period.
"We recognise the negative experiences of those supporters on the day and with this scheme we will refund fans who had bought tickets and who were the most affected by the difficulties in accessing the stadium.”
A joint statement from both LDSA and Spirit of Shankly say they welcome the move from UEFA but both groups believe it does not absolve the organisation for their failings on the night.
The statement reads: "Spirit of Shankly and the Liverpool Disabled Supporters Association welcome today’s announcement from UEFA that they are to refund all Liverpool FC ticket holders who attended the Champions League final in Paris in May 22.
"This unprecedented move is the result of tireless work, alongside FSE and Ian Byrne MP, to hold those responsible for the catastrophic events in Paris. With a promise to reimburse supporters, UEFA have gone some way to acknowledging their part in the fiasco.
"But it does not excuse UEFA, exempt them from criticism or lessen the need for them to implement all of the recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry. We will work alongside LFC and publish details once we know how and when refunds will be processed."
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